Relieve Some Stress - Exercise!

In a post from Lifehacker, stress is relieved in a myriad of fashion.  Listening to music was #1 for the 2nd year in a row, closely followed by….exercise.

Does this really surprise anyone?  According to the Mayo Clinic, exercise benefits you in the following ways:

1. Exercise improves your mood
2. Exercise combats chronic disease
3. Exercise helps you manage your weight
4. Exercise boosts your energy levels
5. Exercise promotes better sleep
6. Exercise can put the spark back in your sex life
7. Exercise can be – gasp – fun!

I’d be the first to admit I don’t always have enough helium in my balloon, but it’s nice to know that medical experts at an internationally recognized healthcare facility back up what I’ve known for years.  Exercise not only relieves stress, but it improves your quality of life.

If you are in need of a push to get off the couch, look no further than here.  In this economy, we all need something to relieve stress.  Not only does exercise get you in better shape, but you end up feeling pretty damn good about yourself.  If time is a factor or gym memberships scare you away, click here for some great ideas on how you can get going in the privacy of your own home.

Oh, by the way – the 8th Benefit to Exercise (according to Moi) – you can listen to music while you exercise.  Talk about multi-tasking!

Lucky Race Outfit

2:10:50!

I ran my half and not only hit goal time, I now really feel like I’m ready for a marathon. Having a decent time will do that to ya!

I beat my previous half time of 2:15:48 by almost 5 minutes!

I was SO HAPPY with my time, mainly because my long runs lately just haven’t been that great. It helps so much to have the support of a huge crowd and everyone having the same common goal.

I found out that they offer preview runs for my marathon for the next two weeks, so I immediately signed up. They are both just half distances, but having company for at least part of the way on my 18 and 20 milers will make a huge difference!

Excited this morning, I was up at 5:30 am and ready to go!

It was freezing outside! If you call 34 degrees freezing that is. I am aware that most people do not. But those people probably also do not live in Charlotte.

I had a quick breakfast of PB toast + coffee to warm me up.

The race fuel of champions.

And I packed my Sharkies:

Then I was off!

I got to the race site around 6:45, so after I picked up my chip I had about an hour to kill, wherein I occupied myself on facebook and twitter. Thank you guys SO much for your support. I cannot even begin to express how much it means to me. You are all so awesome!

The race started at 7:40, and I was toward the back of the pack, so I lost about a minute or so in start time. Miles 1-6 flew by! Before I knew it, we were crossing the 10k split and I was pacing 9:30 miles the whole way. I honestly felt SO GOOD!

Mile 7 started to wear on me though, and I slowed to a steady 10 minute mile for the next 3 miles or so. Mile 9 was continuously uphill, but I hit the 10 mile mark still holding a steady 10 minute pace, and I could feel myself slowing. That’s when I took the Sharkies, and I swear that’s what powered me through to the end!

The last 3 miles were the longest, mainly because the last water station was at mile 10, so there were no breaks for that last stretch. I kept passing people walking on that part of the course, and I was SO TEMPTED. I kept plugging along though, although my time had probably slowed to an 11 or 12 minute mile.

The last 1/2 mile or so was ALL uphill. Apparently that’s the trend around here though, as you may remember the Komen race I ran was the same way. At that point though, there were other racers that had finished already cheering us on. It was awesome, and gave me the strength I need to push through to the finish line. I was SO HAPPY to see the 2:11 over my head as I went across the line.

I immediately called my parents to let them know I’d just PRed, but I don’t think it was quite as important to them as it was me.

Secondly I headed over to the Expo area for a little refreshment. Great Harvest was there!

I grabbed a slice of Cinnamon Crunch bread w/ honey + an unpictured 1/2 banana and Powerade that I wolfed down.

All in all it was a GREAT RACE complete with a cute little medal…

If you were to ask me would I run this race again, the answer would be a resounding YES! [Who knows, maybe I’ll PR again next year…]

With my lucky race outfit, you never know.

4:30 marathon, I’m coming for you!

How to Burn Body Fat Effectively

Do you want to learn how to burn fat effectively the natural way? You should be aware of the two things you need to focus on to get lean. These things are diet and exercise. I am sure you have heard of these two things before. But why do most people ignore them? That’s simple, having a healthy diet and exercising regularly is hard to do. Fortunately, I will talk about how to make things easy for you in this article. In general, it all comes down to getting back to the basics. Read on to learn about it. By the time you finish reading this article, you will be able lose fat smoothly.

One of the things you need to work on if you want to loose fat is to have a healthy diet. Most people do not change their eating habits because it is not easy to do. Fortunately you have two options to change your diet easily. One is to learn how to burn fat and keep more by clicking on this text. Next is to make a few easy to do changes in your meals. You should stay away from taking foods that are fatty and sweet. These are the types of food that can make you gain fat. To help improve your metabolism, you should include plenty of vegetables and fruits in your meals. Have you been experiencing food cravings? You should eat foods that are rich in fiber. These foods include brown rice, oats, we read and wheat crackers. These foods can make you feel full for a long time.

Once you got your diet down, it is time for you to exercise. Working out should be done on a regular basis. Experts suggest that you should exercise for at least three times in a week. To start losing fat as early as possible, you should do some cardiovascular exercises. These exercises include jogging, swimming, rope jumping and cycling. You can also get into exercise programs such as Pilates. Your workout should last for at least 35 to 45 minutes. To get the full benefit of exercising, you can include some strength exercises such as push ups, pull ups, sit ups, leg raises and squats.

Sticking with your new diet and exercising regularly can be difficult at first but after a week or two, everything will be easy and you will start experiencing obvious results.

Mario Lopez (via @beinglatino)

by @beinglatino

Mario Lopez, Jr. (born October 10, 1973) is an American actor of Mexican descent who has appeared on several television series, in films and on Broadway. He is best-known for his portrayal of the character Albert Clifford A.C. Slater on Saved By The Bell from 1989-1994.

 

He has appeared in numerous projects since including the 2006-2007 season of Dancing with the Stars and as a celebrity guest host for the syndicated entertainment news magazine show Extra.

 

Lopez was born in San Diego, the son of Elvia, a telephone clerk, and Mario Lopez Sr., who worked for the municipality of National City. Lopez was a high school wrestler, and graduated from Chula Vista High School in 1992. Lopez’ parents are from Culiacán, Sinaloa, Mexico.

 

Lopez’s professional career began in 1985 when he appeared as younger brother Tomás in the short-lived ABC comedy series a.k.a. Pablo. That same year, he was cast as a drummer and dancer on Kids Incorporated. In March 1987. he was cast as a guest star on the popular sitcom Golden Girls as a Mexican boy named Mario who faces deportation. In 1989, Lopez was cast as A.C. Slater in the popular television sitcom Saved by the Bell, a role which lasted five years. Lopez’s character was a masculine, athletic student, helping to garner the actor a sizeable teenage-girl fan base. After Saved by the Bell ended in 1993, Lopez went on to reprise his role as A.C. Slater in the short-lived spin-off series Saved by the Bell: The College Years.

 

In 1997, Lopez starred as Olympic diver Greg Louganis in the television movie Breaking the Surface: The Greg Louganis Story. The following year, he was cast as Bobby Cruz in the USA Network series Pacific Blue. Lopez left the series after two seasons and went on to guest star on Resurrection Blvd., Eve, and The Bad Girl’s Guide. In March 2006, Lopez joined the cast of the daytime soap opera The Bold and the Beautiful playing the role of Dr. Christian Ramirez. On July 18, 2006, he was released from his B&B contract. Later that year, he guest-starred as a plastic surgeon who drives Christian Troy to jealousy when he sees him naked in the shower in an episode of FX Network’s Nip/Tuck during the show’s fourth season, which began in Fall 2006.

 

In the fall of 2006, Lopez signed on as a contestant on the third season of Dancing with the Stars on ABC with professional partner Karina Smirnoff who was making her series debut. They finished in second place, losing to the team of Emmitt Smith and Cheryl Burke, despite scoring higher than them on average and despite “breaking all the rules” when he broke the hold on both his 2nd and 3rd week during his Quickstep and Tango.

 

Lopez met Miss USA (1996), Ali Landry, when he emceed the 1998 Miss Teen USA pageant and she was a commentator. They were engaged during the summer of 2003 and married on April 24, 2004, but two weeks later she had the marriage annulled over alleged infidelities committed by Lopez during the relationship.

 

In 2007, Lopez became an official supporter of Ronald McDonald House Charities and is a member of their celebrity board, called the Friends of RMHC. Lopez was named People magazine’s “Hottest Bachelor” in June 2008.

 

Mario admits to enjoying an occasional cigar. His drink of choice when in Rome or Mexico are margaritas, in the States his preference is vodka.

"Ideal Shape" Profile: Mark Martin, 50, Is A NASCAR Racing Champion Who Credit Diet And Fitness For Continued Success

Martin is a 50-year-old Sprint Cup driver/fitness fanatic whose four-times-a-week workout routine would bring tears and a whimper to men half his age.

MARK MARTIN IS IN INCREDIBLE SHAPE…VERY DISCIPLINED AND DETERMINED TO STAY SHARP….

(From a Star-Telegram article)  The person least obsessed by Mark Martin’s age is Mark Martin.

So, please, dispense with the antique jokes, the AARP barbs and the Methuselah references. This senior citizen of NASCAR is far too busy defying logic in the fast lane to keep up with geezer humor.

He wears a brush cut and sports six-pack abs. He needs reading glasses, but he also needs his iPod to listen to his favorite rap music.

He guzzles thick protein shakes with low-fat peanut butter and banana. He lives in Daytona Beach, Fla., rather than the Charlotte, N.C., area, where most NASCAR folks call home.

And, oh, one more thing: He’s not afraid of Jimmie Johnson.

“I think Jimmie Johnson is Superman, but that doesn’t mean he’s unbeatable,” Martin recently wrote in his “Chase Diary” on Yahoo Sports. “I think the more times someone wins the championship, the less likely you are to win it the next year.”

This mind-set makes the 5-foot-6, 135-pound Martin a monster in the cockpit of a race car.

Johnson — Martin’s Hendrick Motorsports teammate — is the Chase for the Sprint Cup leader with three races to go, starting next with Sunday’s Dickies 500 at Texas Motor Speedway.

Johnson is the three-time defending champion. By Martin’s way of thinking, he’s really due to lose some year.

Staying fit at 50

Martin, who led the Chase through the first three weeks, is now in second place, trailing Johnson by 184 points.

Time perhaps has run out on his attempt to become the oldest Cup champ in NASCAR history.

He has been runner-up four times — finishing second to Tony Stewart (2002), Jeff Gordon (’98) and twice to Dale Earnhardt (’94 and ’90). He also has had three career third-place finishes.

Martin tried to “semi-retire” three years ago, he really did, but his competitive drive wouldn’t let him. You see, his secret to life is to keep moving.

He pilots his own airplane. And while he’s not an easy man to sum up in a paragraph or two, what he is not is a novelty act. His 90-minute workout regimen four days a week is serious business.

“I never miss a workout,” Martin blogged. “I’ve been lifting for nearly 22 years now. I could be a personal trainer.”

Actually, he’s his own personal trainer. He works out alone.

A few pro athletes who have been able to achieve greatness late in their careers, and many of those have shown a penchant for fitness. Brett Favre is a good example, although he’s 10 years younger than the driver of the No. 5 Chevrolet.

Martin grew up during the ’60s in Batesville, Ark. He applies Bible verse to his everyday life. He has been married to the same woman (Arlene) for 25 years, so he’s pretty much in for the long haul in whatever he does.

But he doesn’t always act his age.

http://www.star-telegram.com/340/story/1728254.html

November

It is now November and it is easy to fall out of our daily routines. There are holidays coming up as well as cold weather and darkness. In order to stay healthy and moving, do not skimp on your fitness goals. Once you get out of it, it is easy to stay out. Make it your goal to keep up with your daily fitness and nutrition goals and you’ll make sure this holiday season is happy and healthy. Happy November,

Katie

strength goals

So far I’ve been doing squats, bench presses, and deadlifts in poor form so I’ll have to lower my working weights so that I get better ranges of motion. From there I will go up slowly until I achieve my goals of:

• 2 × 7 × 150 squats
• 2 × 7 × 110 bench presses
• 2 × 7 × 210 deadlifts
• 2 × 7 × 75 presses

… all in good form. Right now I’m doing:

• 2 × 7 × 145 squats
• 2 × 7 × 80 bench presses
• 2 × 7 × 150 deadlifts
• 2 × 7 × 50 presses

… most in poor form, however. I cannot honestly increase intensity further because of that, but then again I cannot discount the strength I’ve gained from working out in admittedly poor form. The solution, I think, would be to lower the weights slightly so that I could go back to increasing intensity, this time with good form.

My new workout plan for the next round of exercising would then be:

• 2 × 7 × 130 squats (poor form correction)
• 2 × 7 × 85 bench presses (good form already)
• 2 × 7 × 150 deadlifts (good form practice)
• 2 × 7 × 50 presses (good form practice)

To reach the 210 deadlifts mark, I’ll need to acquire some weight hooks (or whatever they’re called) since gloves don’t do it for me anymore and foam makes my grip weaken.

With a 5-lb per week progression, squat goals will take 4 weeks to achieve, bench press and press goals will take 5 weeks, deadlift goals will take 12 weeks (possibly less, as I’ll attempt to get an accelerated head-start with better grip).